Auburn hypes up former star Jabari Smith Jr. as he bags $122,000,000 deal in the NBA

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. just landed a massive payday in the NBA and his former college team, the Auburn Tigers, are hyping him up proudly.

On Monday, Smith signed a five-year, $122 million rookie contract extension with the Rockets, confirming his place as a rising star in the league.

After the announcement, Auburn celebrated its former standout with a simple Instagram post featuring his photo and the caption:

“Got the bag 🤑💰.”

Before making his way to the NBA, Smith Jr. was a dominant force at Auburn during the 2021-22 college basketball season. In his lone year with the Tigers, he averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting over 42% from beyond the arc. His all-around play helped Auburn to a No. 1 national ranking during the season and a strong showing in the NCAA tournament.

Smith’s impressive freshman year earned him multiple honours, including SEC Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-SEC. He was also named a consensus Second-Team All-American, making him one of the top prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft.

That June, the Houston Rockets selected him with the third overall pick, and he went on to sign his rookie deal worth $22.3 million over four years. Since then, Smith has grown into a key part of the Rockets’ young core, showing promise with his scoring, rebounding, and defensive versatility. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 12.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg in his maiden season.

Now, with this $122 million extension, Smith has secured his financial future.

Auburn HC makes thoughts known on latest NIL ruling

On Sunday, Bruce Pearl had an interview with Brian Kilmeade on "Fox News One Nation", where he was quizzed about his thoughts on the House v. NCAA settlement and how it changes NIL.

"I think it's great, because the NCAA was late to the party in taking care of these student-athletes," Pearl said. "The market said, 'These kids are worth what they're getting.' ... As a result, they don't have to go to the NBA Draft, and fight their way through the G League, and get a two-way contract and be a second-round pick. They can be a little bit more selective. They can stay in college, so when they get to the NBA, they've got a better chance of being successful right away."

However, the coach acknowledged that college sports have now become a ‘bidding war,’ though he still mostly sees positives.

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Gio Vergara